Tee Off At Five Challenging U.S. Courses

Unless you’re planning a trip to the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina, in mid June, you’ll need another outlet for your tournament dreams. Here are five unforgettable courses where guests can play like the pros.

Rise to the challenge of this high-elevation, Jack Nicklaus-designed course in the Tortolita Mountains near Tucson. Take a swing among the saguaro cacti with the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star resort’s Unlimited Golf for Two package (available through May 31), and play the 27 holes until you’re ready to retreat to your luxury room — or upgrade to a spacious Southwest-inspired casita. The adults don’t have to have all the fun: Kids can opt for an in-room camping experience with an indoor tent, complete with a pint-sized featherbed.

Celebrating its golden anniversary this year, this Williamsburg club’s 45 walkable holes were designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and son Rees Jones. All three courses — the Gold, the Green and the nine-hole Spotswood — are Audubon sanctuaries surrounded by natural beauty. Fifty years of play on these scenic fairways is no small feat, and the Golden Horseshoe Golf package (available through June 12) allows you to take part in the celebration. The offer includes accommodations at Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites, a complimentary replay round (after you’ve completed your first), range balls, Ping golf club rentals and a Ping valuables pouch for each player. To commemorate the landmark anniversary, each player will also receive a personalized, engraved Golden Horseshoe bag tag and a Golden Horseshoe yardage book.

Wildfire Golf Club’s two courses offer the best of desert rounds, with the Arnold Palmer-designed Signature Course providing delicately complex challenges on rolling grounds. Make your tee time a family affair: To promote the game, kids under 15 play free with free club rentals after 3 p.m. when accompanied by a paying adult — and join in on the adult’s lesson at no extra charge. And when you reserve the Unlimited Golf Experience package, available through the end of the year, your guest room comes with breakfast buffet, advanced tee times, unlimited golf on the Palmer or Faldo Championship Course and more.

Tee off at this tropical Donald Ross course near Miami with the Teach and Play package, and enjoy a half-day golf-school session with video and instruction notes, unlimited golf and range balls, and breakfast daily. The Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star resort offers three restaurants, so you aren’t restricted to the same spread your entire stay. With the historic hotel’s classic design (think vaulted ceiling with frescoes, fountains and marble columns), you’ll certainly feel like the lord of the manor — even if you aren’t ruling the green.

Tom Jackson designed this 18-hole course in the rustic, relaxed style of the western Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. Hit the links with a panoramic sunset view and stay at the Four-Star hotel for 20 nights with 20 rounds of golf at Old Edwards Club for less than $7,500, thanks to the Summer Sampler 20-20 offer. Choose a suite in the main lodge and enjoy your post-golf relaxation in a rocking chair on the wraparound porch. You can use your 20 days how you wish — day by day, multiple days or multiple rooms when available. Keep in mind this package is available through November 25.

Photos Courtesy of Marriott International Inc, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and The Biltmore Hotel